Loveless
by Konjiki No Yami
Summary: After her parent's death, Aisha Caelum has nothing left. Empty-hearted, she joins the military in hopes of dying quickly so she can join her parents—that is, until she finds out that her childhood friend, Elsword Caligo is the captain! But he has completely changed—and ready to give her hell. Things get dangerous and feelings resurface. ElsAi.
1. Lilac

You know when people say that when your parents die, you get a weird feeling? That's a lie. And in books, how the main character always seem to get into an argument with them before they die? That's a lie. **  
**

How do I know?

Because it happened to me. And it was nothing like the books.

* * *

I hate school. I know, this isn't the first time you've heard that. I bet you say it on a daily basis. And yes, it's cliche. But there's a reason why things are cliché, because it really happens and it's true. Especially when you're the loser. More cliché-ness. I bet you're thinking that this will be one of those popular-guy-meets-loser-girl thing. Nope. I've read thousands and thousands of those, but it's never happened. I don't think it will either. The popular girls aren't horrendously mean either. Sure, they'll ignore you sometimes (all the time), but they won't track you down and beat you up. You see, the way to breeze through high school is to just be stealthy. Blend into the lockers and background, be that quiet kid who nobody notices until you talk to them.

I'm that kid. So it was pretty obvious when my parents died, nobody gave a shit.

* * *

I sat in English class, lightly drumming my pencil on my desk. We were reading some novel that I read fifth grade. Yeah, if don't know by now, I read. A lot. Hey, having no friends gives you a lot of free time. This lasted for about ten more minutes before the principal, Mr. Lowe called me out of class. No one even blinked. I made my way down the silent, boring hallway. It reeked of classrooms, paper, sweat, and cafeteria food. I saw the silhouette of Lowe looming at the end of the hall so I quickened my pace.

When I could finally make out his face, it was grim. That was Clue #1. He put his arm around his shoulders and led me inside of the office. Clue #2. The office was deadly silent. Even the usual tapping of the keyboards were gone. Everyone was staring at me. Clue #3.

"Miss Caelum...," he started, rubbing his hands together. His eyes darted everywhere, obviously not happy that he was the one that had to break it to me. "maybe you should sit down." Clue #4. He quickly pulled out a chair for me and I warily sat down.

"Your parents..." He started again.

"My parents?" I raised an eyebrow, panic was quickly rising.

"Noah and Penensio Caelum were both killed in an automobile accident, about twenty minutes ago. We just found out. I am truly sorry...if there's anything I can do to help..."

Everything else he said was drowned out by my own thoughts. The world felt like it was spinning and I began to tremble. I wanted to cry. So badly, but nothing would come out. My thoughts spiraled out of control and I wasn't able to to do anything.

"Miss Caelum? Miss Caelum?" Lowe placed his hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"

What a stupid question, but I nodded. The lump in my throat slowly ceased. "I guess." My voice was raspy and hoarse.

"Is there anyone you can stay with? Relatives? Friends?"

My mom's parents are both dead and I don't know any of my other relatives. My father was adopted and then his foster parents abandoned him when he was sixteen. I did have one friend when I was about three, his name was Elsword. But he moved away a long time ago. Why am I even thinking about him?

"No."

* * *

And that's how I ended up here. I looked at my parents' caskets, with a hollow feeling. Everybody else was crying and some even came up to me and prayed. Most of them were business people. I didn't respond to any of it. I just stared, with my fists clenched. I sold everything to afford this funeral. I wanted my parents to rest in peace.

"Did you hear?" I heard one of my mom's friend whisper. "The Elrios military tracked down more of Ran's goons in Fluone. They said that Ran was in Hamel."

Her friend gasped. "The capital?"

"Yes, yes! They're having a celebration at this very moment for the victory, poor Aisha."

"Honestly. I hope Ran doesn't come to Lurensia."

Ran was a terrorist that recently invaded Elrios and seems to be able to just barely slip out of the government's grip. His followers have been found all over Fluone. But not him. And for once, I'm on Ran's side. I wanted every single one of those stupid officers to drop dead.

* * *

After the funeral was over, everyone just left. Except for one. I had no idea who he was, but I assumed he was one of my father's friends. He had snowy white hair tied back into a ponytail and electric eyes. He had some kind of scar on his face. He strode over to me.

"Hello, little Aisha." He smiled. "My name is Add Kim, I am your friend's father." His expression turned solemn. "I am terribly sorry for your loss." He placed a gloved hand on my shoulder.

"That's what everyone says." I heaved a sigh. "Look, I'm really tired. Can we hurry this up?" I didn't mean to sound snappish but hey, give me a break. My parents are dead.

"I just wanted to know what your plans are."

"Plans?"

"Are you going to stay in school? Have you Specialized yet? Things like that."

Specializing was like puberty. Except with magic or craftsmanship. Everyone is born with their own special ability, and it's their own job to figure it out. You could chose to serve the government without magic or with magic. Things like Alchemists, Blacksmiths, COBO employee, Banker, the list goes on. Those jobs don't require magic. Or you could choose to Specialize in magic and become a soldier. A swordsman or woman are highly respected throughout Elrios. But you could also heal or use spells. Basically, if you don't Specialize, you're not a full-fledged adult. I am pursuing elemental magic with little luck.

"I don't know." I said flatly and lamely.

"Well, I am a recruiter from the military and I think you have potential." He winked and handed me a card with a number scribbled on it. "If you have no where to go, then you can join our family. Ta-ta~." He wiggled his fingers and strutted off.

I snorted. Like hell.

* * *

After two days of sitting on a bench and thinking about life, the card tucked into my pocket seemed tempting. My stomach let out a ferocious growl and the sky was turning grey. So was the El Lady testing me? Do I have to make a decision now? I pulled out my cell phone and turned it on. My wallpaper was still the default one even though I've had this phone for two years. A drop of rain fell onto the screen. Another. Another. My shoulders slumped.

I dialed the number.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I hoped you like the first chapter/prologue/thing of Loveless! I honestly don't know what possessed me to do this but I did! This is my first military-fic so my military might be different from an actual military. Oh who am I kidding, I have no idea what I'm doing with this story! XD Hope you enjoyed! Oh and here are the classes before I forget: **

**Aisha- Elemental Master (with a little twist) **

**Elsword- Infinity Sword **

**Rena- Wind Sneaker **

**Eve- Code Empress**

**Chung- Iron Paladin **

**Ara- Yama Raja **

**Add- Mastermind **

**Raven- Blade Master **

**Elesis- Grand Master **


	2. Crimson

I never knew what motion sickness was until that airplane took flight. I was on a fifteen hour flight to a camp in Fahrmann. Why did I agree to do this? I sighed as I snapped the book in my hands shut. The reading was not helping the dizziness. I looked out of the window. The country of Pluone was much more serene than the bustling Lurensia. You could see the turquoise waters of Hamel sparkle and then the transition to the arid, dry winds of Sander. Wait. Sander? That means the plane will be landing soon! As if on cue, the flight attendant's voice blared out through the speakers. "Please out your seat belts on, we will arrive in Fahrmann shortly."

My ears popped as we descended but I didn't care. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins and it numbed my hunger. I wasn't able to eat anything for the entire flight, I was too sick. The airport in Fahrmann was huge. I was kind of glad Add came personally instead of hiring some guy to hold up a sign with my name on it. I read about those things all the time. They never turn well.

"Ah, little Aisha!" The white haired man showered me in kisses and hugs. He snapped his fingers toward the two men in black next to him and they took my bags. I breathed a quick 'thank you' to them before turning my attention back to Add.

"So what now?" I inquired. He smiled at me, his lopsided grin was kind of creepy. He snaked an arm around me and led me toward the exit. I quietly let him guide me as he rambled.

"Well, we go to the camp and you fill out some paperwork—then voila! You're officially in the Elrios military." He explained cheerfully. "And, they'll help you Specialize."

Me being unable to Specialize was a sore topic. A really sore one. I bit my lip and tried to remain deadpanned. "How do you know I haven't already?" I crossed my arms. He laughed hysterically and then stopped abruptly. Raising an eyebrow at me, he exotically held out his arms. "Well, have you?" I stared at him. He so did not. His lack of answer told me that he was serious.

"No..." I mumbled.

* * *

Once we arrived to the camp, I immediately took note of the twenty—or thirty—trainees who were muscled _men _on the ground doing push ups with their knuckles. I gave Add an odd look and he tilted his head. Like literally. He tilts it so with such exaggeration that I could hear his neck pop and his bangs were resting on his shoulder, a few strands fell over. "What's wrong, little Aisha?"

"Um, where are the women? Are they in a different unit or something?"

He let out another hysterical, hyena-like laugh and patted me on the shoulder. "Oh sweetie, the only woman crazy enough to join the ruthless Elrios military is you."

I nearly did a double take. "_What_?!"

He gave me a quick nod and grabbed a hold of me again. "Now c'mon, Eve is waiting for us. She hates tardiness." I was tempted to pull away and demand an explanation and try to run away like the main heroine usually does in books, but I'm not a heroine of a book. I'm just plain old Aisha who has no where to go. So I let him drag me, but something did tug at my mind.

"This Eve is female?"

"Yup. A very attractive one too."

"Didn't you just say—"

"Major General Kim!" A sharp voice barked. "What has taken you so long? You know the only thing I despise more than you is tardiness!" A tall, slim woman who looked only a few years older than me loomed over Add with a terrifying aura. Her silver hair was winded into two buns that rested on the sides of her head. She had sharp golden eyes with pale skin. Her attire was way more spontaneous and gaudy compared to Add's snowy trench coat. She wore a red and brown hat with blue and gold accents and a red blouse with uneven ends. A long, flowing cape was draped over her shoulders and she wore black, ankle-length combat boots. She wore a black skirt with bits of red and matching gloves with complex designs. So she was one of the people celebrating while my parents lay dead in a casket.

"Ah, my lovely Eve-y. How has your day been? May I just say that you look absolutely stunning!" Add waltzed over to the unamused Eve and attempted to give her a hug which she slapped away.

"That's Major Silvara to you." She replied curtly before giving him one last glare. Her eyes found themselves to me. Placing one graceful hand on her hip, she pursed her lips. "You must be the new recruit. Major General Kim did not inform me that you were female." Her eyes dragged away from me and back to Add, who was lounging comfortably in a chair. I wasn't sure what to say to that so I just nodded politely. "Your name?" Eve began taking out forms from a folder that looked three centuries old.

"Aisha Caelum." I began playing with my fingers.

"Age?"

"Seventeen."

That caught her attention. Her head shot up and she looked at me quizzically. Then she glanced at Add.

"Her parents died." He said lazily. I flinched at the indifference. Eve glared daggers at him and her expression softened. She stopped asking questions with an attitude.

After finishing the paperwork, she gave my shoulder a squeeze. "Despite being so awfully young, we decided to take you. Congratulations. The other trainees are way older than you but there's another person who's about your age. He's quite skilled although a bit churlish. I'm sure he can help you. "

"Oh...okay. Thank you." I said, dazed. This was it? That's all? I thought you had to go through rigorous background checks, and stuff like that. She led me out of the office and back outside. The winds here were ferocious.

"I'm sorry about your parents." Eve said awkwardly. She looked like she wanted to hug me. But then again, she didn't seem like the affectionate type. I shrugged lamely. "My father died when I was three so I know how you feel..." She trailed off. Thankfully, something else seemed to have caught her attention and she began to call someone over.

"Caligo! Come here, I need to introduce you to someone." Eve beckoned him over and it actually took me a minute to recognize him. He basically wore the manly version of Eve's outfit except with pants and a sword adorned his side. He was muscly but not bulky, more lean and agile-like. His crimson hair trailed down his back and was held down by a ponytail. Parts of his hair were dyed black.

Oh. My. El.

I stumbled into the tent behind us and nearly knocked it down. It was him. It was Elsword. I was half-aware of Eve's arms catching me before I fell but my eyes were glued on _him_. Then my shock turned into rage. Seething rage. I broke free of Eve's grip and I stood there, trembling.

"You."

"Aisha..." His crimson eyes looked at me with genuine shock. "It's—it's been a while." Eve had a confused look on her face but she did not say anything. I nearly clawed out his eyes if he didn't catch me.

"_YOU SON OF A BITCH! FUCKING **TRAITOR**! MY PARENTS ARE DEAD! AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN THINK TO SHOW UP! OH NO, WAIT. YOU WERE AT A FUCKING PARTY CELEBRATING YOUR ASS OFF WHILE MY LIFELESS PARENTS WERE BURIED! DROP DEAD!" _I shrieked. I screamed and kicked until my throat hurt and the tears that I had accumulated were being set free. I don't know how but I got lucky and my nails raked the side of his face and eventually, they managed to subdue me. But I had taken my toll. Eve's mouth was in a perfect 'o'. She hadn't moved a muscle. It was Add who heard the commotion. Elsword held his bleeding face and looked at me, his eyes bulging out of their sockets. My voice was about to give out but I kept speaking, "They asked if I had anyone to stay with and I thought of you. I stood alone at that funeral while you drank wine at some party."

His expression was grim. "For that, I am sorry."

I let out a bark of laughter. "Sorry? Is that it? My parents were just worth a 'sorry'?"

"Then what do you want me to do?" Elsword stared at me, his expression turned cold. A cold I had never seen in his eyes. When I didn't answer, he stood up and began walking towards me. "Answer me, Aisha. _What the the hell do you want me to_ **_DO_**_?_"

I unconsciously took a step back which seems to be enough to him because he stopped coming towards me. A blonde in a nurse outfit arrived, letting out a yelp. She fussed at him and began dabbing at the wound. Everything was blurry and it sounded like I was underwater. I fell to my knees, probably scraping them.

Before he left, he turned to me. "I am sorry for your loss and I apologize for my ignorance —but the past is the past. You can't hold a grudge forever. I will see you tomorrow. Training begins at three-o-clock in the morning."

* * *

**Author's Note: Annnd cut! I hope you guys liked it! Aisha lost it. owo Oh deary. **

**Review replies to my amazing, lovely reviewers~ **

**RubyContract- ERMAHGAWD. GODDESS RUBY, YOU REVIEWED. I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW. Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed her. Yes, I am for ISxVP but I'm okay with any ElsAi pairing. I choose their classes based on personality. Thank you so much! QAQ Well, I wasn't actually planning on giving her a pairing but do you want to recommend something? There will be plenty of Add in this story, don't worry. c: Thank you soooo much, Goddess Ruby! Oh no...well I...uh...kind of...erm...well you see, I kind of lost inspiration for it. And because my writing my still noobish. I might reboot it, ya never know. ;D **

**xXxBlazingHeartxXx- Oh I never noticed that! Spoilers! Thanks! **

**Sugarlatte- Add is just a jerk! XD **

** \- Thank you! Senpai?! QAQ I feel so honored right now. **

**Icebella- Oh, that's wonderful! THANK YOU, YOU'RE SO SWEET ASFGHK- **

**DerpyKanshii- Thank you! Hehe, we shall see. Thank youuu! **

**Rosamanelle- Thank you, Rosa! Aisha needs to go on Dr. Phil or something about anger management. XD Thank chu! **


	3. Emerald

I woke up with tear-stained cheeks to someone gently shaking me. I blinked a few times until my vision finally cleared. It was a man. His dark hair was swept messily to the side and he had piercing golden eyes. I groaned slightly and sat up. "Can I help you?"

"It's almost three, miss." He said quietly.

"Oh my El, is it really?!" I jolted upright and nearly tumbled off my bunk. Yeah, I forgot to mention that I'm sharing a room with guys. It didn't really bother me that much since I have the sex appeal of a crayon. So it probably wasn't that embarrassing when I hopped out of bed wearing only a camisole and underwear. But hey, props to the dude for turning away. I quickly brushed out the tangles in my hair with my fingers before teasing it up into a high pony tail. I slipped on a black tank top with camouflage trousers. Slipping on socks, I ran to the sinks to wash my face and brush my teeth. Then, I grabbed the heavy, shiny, black, new lace-up combat boots and tied them just in time before Elsword walked in to blow his louder-than-necessary whistle.

"Not bad. All of you managed to wake up on time. I guess there was no need for the ice water." Elsword's tone seemed mildly disappointed. I made a mental note to thank that dude who woke me up properly. "Alright. Line up."

We quickly assembled into a line. I took notice of another female in the group. I guess Add was wrong. There were females in the group—rare—but still there. She had yellowish-green hair and I wondered why I didn't notice her sooner. Maybe because I was seething with rage yesterday. She seemed to notice me staring and flashed me a smile. I lamely blinked a few times before giving her a goofy wave.

As we marched outside, she found her way towards me.

"Hi there, my name is Rena. So nice to see another girl here. Do you know how long it's been since I've seen another female around? These dudes are my family but I need someone who understands the pains of a girl, y'know? " Rena flashed me another one of her smiles. I finally got a good look at her face, she had popping emerald eyes and her light hair was swept into a neat side ponytail. Unlike my messy, un-brushed one. And she was _tall_. Like, model tall. Why wasn't she a model? She was certainly pretty enough to be a model. Realizing she was still waiting for me to answer, I said the first stupid thing that came to my mind:

"What about Major Silvara?" I blurted.

"_Her_? Are you joking? I swear, she's part robot. I don't think I've ever even seen her smile. And I've been here since I was a kid. By the way, I never got your name?"

"Oh, right! Sorry. My name is Aisha Caelum."

"Nice to meet ya, Aisha Caelum!" Rena grinned and gave me a pat on the shoulder. I smiled weakly and tried to seek comfort through it.

"Lympha! Stop yapping! Drop and do fifteen!" Elsword barked harshly. I winced and mouthed an apology. She winked to show that she wasn't mad and began to do the push-ups. Everyone else had formed into four rows and I quickly found an empty spot in the third row. What a coincidence. It was next to the guy who saved me from waking up to ice water.

"Um, hey. I just wanted to thank you for waking me up. You saved me from a cold..." I trailed off, not sure what else to say. He turned to me, his expression stoic.

"Don't get used to it. I just wanted to do the humane thing and help you. I won't be your mom and wake you up everyday. Also, stay away from my girlfriend." His tone was cold and he turned his attention back to Elsword.

"We go by a rule around here," Elsword said, "'Endure the unbearable, and bear it.'"

I was still stricken by that guy's words but those words snapped me back into attention. They sort of described my situation now.

"Some of you may be new around here and some of your may have been here your whole life. Well we're all starting from the basics again. To refresh the memories of some and teach to some. Let's start with a warm-up. Ten laps!" Elsword hollered, blowing his whistle.

By now, Rena had joined us and we all began to run.

Okay, I'll be honest. I am not athletic at _all_. I only enlisted here because I had no where else to go and because I wasn't thinking straight. So obviously by the third lap, I was dead last and out of breath. My ponytail had swept onto my shoulder and it had stuck because I was damp with sweat. I brushed it back and stopped for a few seconds, panting.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?" Elsword's voice was too close for comfort. I whipped my head around and peered at him. How _dare _he talk to me? I wiped sweat from my forehead and just continued to run.

By the time I finished, everyone was already done and they were all waiting for me. I was sticky with sweat and my ponytail was already falling apart. Rena came up to me and grinned at me. "Don't mind, don't mind. You did awesome. Way better than me during my first time."

I forced myself to smile.

"What are you even doing here? That was pathetic." The dark-haired guy walked up to us and put an arm around Rena. Believe it or not, he towered over her. I would've found that cute if he wasn't a total asshole.

"Raven! Stop being mean. He didn't mean it. I'm sorry, he's always like this." Rena shrugged off her boyfriend's arm and glared at him.

"No. It's true." I said through gritted teeth.

_Not that he could've found a nicer way to say it. _

"I'm really sorry, Aisha. Raven, what is wrong with you?" She dragged him off and seemed like she was giving him a speech. I sighed loudly and retied my ponytail.

"Now that you've warmed up, let's start with something grueling." Elsword picked up a black backpack and dropped it, it landed with a heavy thud. I tried not to wince. "This bag is filled with bricks. We're going to hike up a mountain wearing these."

Groans escaped the mouths of everybody. I was rigid with horror. Elsword picked up the backpack and effortlessly swung it on. He blew the whistle and one by one, we lined up to grab a bag from the pile. When it was my turn, my flimsy arms could barely pick it up. I nearly fell backwards because if the weight. I joined with Rena and Raven, who seemed to be okay with this.

"You doing okay, Aisha? We'll all stick together." Rena looked at me, concern filling her features.

"I'm grand. Just awesome." I said, breathless.

"If we stick with her, the others will already be halfway across the mountains." Raven mumbled. Rena smacked him. We continued idle chatter until Elsword blew that damned whistle and we all began jogging. I felt like my spinal cord was going to snap in half. I could see Rena jog on ahead but then physically have to slow down to match her pace with mine.

"I'm really sorry." I managed to say before focusing back on not falling backwards and tumbling off this mountain. Rena waved off my apology like a bad smell.

"No prob! We're friends after all."

"_She _is not my friend." Raven scoffed.

"Well, you're free to go on ahead." Rena countered.

He didn't reply.

"Alsus! Lympha! Why the hell are you so slow?" Elsword had been jogging in place until we caught up to him. Raven jerked his thumb toward me and Rena smiled cheerfully.

"We didn't want to leave Aisha by herself."

"_You _didn't." Raven corrected.

"Well as touching as it is, we didn't come here for happy-go-lucky friendship bullshit. We're here to push ourselves to the limit! You two are not at your limit. However, she is. So if you want to do fifty push-ups with those backpacks _on_, you better hurry your ass up."

Rena hesitated and shot a glance towards me. I shook my head and mouthed, _go_. Rena smiled apologetically and quickened her pace, Raven following. Once they were out of an earshot, Elsword piped up.

"Quite selfless. That is a good military quality to have. You know, excluding your abnormal inability to be athletic, you have a lot of qualities that are good for military thinking."

"How nice of you to run that by me." I grunted. The bricks in my bag just shifted.

"You know, being cross with me will only give you the satisfactory pleasure of you being cross with me, and me getting the satisfactory pleasure of seeing your immaturity."

I stopped abruptly.

"Something wrong?" He arched an eyebrow.

"What _happened _to you? You used to be the nicest person ever. You would never dye your hair or say bad words. You were going to pursue the title of Lord Knight and—" I cut myself off. I was not going to tell him that I used to have a silly schoolgirl crush on him.

"Oh that. I gave that up a long time ago."

"What? Why?"

"Things change."

"Obviously." I snorted.

"I made a Contract."

I gasped. Contracts were extremely rare in Specializing. They're just rare in general. Familiars were extremely powerful and felt no need to associate with us. Only the chosen people get to even speak to them, let alone form a Contract.

"Conwell is its name. When I was pursuing Lord Knight, I wanted to bask in glory. I wanted to be a star, burning. Conwell offered to make me a shadow. Powerful, silent, stealthy, mysterious. I specialize in dual swords now."

I was silent.

"I've moved on. You should too. It's obvious you're not getting anywhere with elemental magic."

"_What?_" I screeched, turning red.

"Add informed me of your circumstances in more detail while adding some of his...commentary."

I was tempted to stomp over to that homosexual moron and give him the finger but I remained calm. Sort of.

"So what!? I haven't Specialized! I will! At some point..."

"Right."

* * *

After a full day of torturous training, all my limbs were sore. I groaned in pain as I slowly eased myself in bed. I let my hair fall loosely around my face, too tired to brush it back. Rena plopped down beside me and handed me some Greek yogurt. I gave her a tired look of appreciation and hungrily attacked it.

"Gross. I hate Greek yogurt. I like Danimals and kiddish stuff like that." She winked and I laughed. "So, how ya holding up?" She nudged me with her elbow and I winced in pain. "Not good, huh?"

"It's _torture._" I looked at her incredulously. "How do you guys handle this?"

"Because we actually know what we're doing." Raven approached us, a bottle of water in his hand. Rena glared daggers into him but he just coolly stared back.

"Raven, I am tired of your behavior. Why won't you be nice to her?"

"Because she's in pain in our ass. We shouldn't have to lower ourselves to her."

"Aisha is our friend. It's what friends do. We help each other." Rena said, her face reddening by the second.

"How do you know she's not taking advantage of you?" Raven snapped back, his gaze calm. Rena sat there, her hands clutching my blanket. I bit my lip and opened my mouth to speak but Rena cut me off.

"You know what!? You always say the most horrible things! Always, always, always, _always_! I'm just trying to be nice." She was clutching the sheet so much that I was scared that the soft fabric would rip.

"Too nice." He folded his arms and seemed like this was no big deal.

Rena got up. "I'm going to take a shower." She stormed off.

I stabbed my spoon into the gushy yogurt and suddenly took interest in the hard, concrete floor. Raven eventually left moments after and I sat there with no longer cold yogurt.

It never got finished.

* * *

I woke to extremely sore limbs. Not that it was a surprise. I literally rolled out of bed and glanced at the clock. 2:30 AM. Oh thank the Sacred El. With a lot of effort, I dragged myself to the sink and washed up. I had time to brush my hair and look somewhat decent, not that it mattered. I was going to look like a monster at the end of the day anyways. I neatly pulled my hair into a high ponytail and applied deodorant.

"Morning, Aisha!" Rena cheerfully joined me in front of the mirror and I smiled warily. She showed no emotion from yesterday. She began humming and brushing her long locks before teasing it up in twin tails. I wish I had that much confidence to do that.

"Cute." I commented.

"Thank you! I like to style my hair differently. Even though I'm in the military, I'm still a girl." She smiled. "Want me to do yours?"

"No, thanks. I don't do hair. As long as it's tamed, I'm good."

"Well that's why I'm doing it, silly!" Without permission, she brushed her fingers through my hair and parted it into low pigtails. I didn't protest because I wanted to see how this turned out. She even parted my bangs with a comb. "Absolutely marvelous!" Rena clapped her hands happily and I brushed my bangs aside. I never thought of parting them. I looked...nice.

"Thanks, Rena. It looks nice." I smiled.

She gave me a wink before I left to go put on my shoes. I hate about ten minutes left so I quickly squeezed some breakfast. Soon after, Rena joined me. She bit into a bright red apple.

"This is absolutely _unacceptable_!" I heard a voice shriek. It was Major Silvara.

"They've only had two days of training! Most of them are just rookies!" Another voice. Elsword.

"And we are simply out of time." Another voice replied calmly. I didn't know who it was.

Rena and I exchanged nervous glances before all three of them plus Add walked in. There was another man. His blonde hair was extremely long. I would've mistaken him for a female if his sharp expression said otherwise. He wore a crisp white general-like outfit with blue epaulettes. He had more than a dozen medals handing from shirt. He had a nasty scar across his entire face. Eve stood next to him, hands clenched tightly and her face red. Add's arms was crossed and he actually looked serious. Well—as serious as Add gets. They all looked so official. Except for Elsword who was shirtless.

"That's the General of the Army, General Chung Seiker." Rena whispered. "He's _it. _There's no high authority than him."

"Wow..." I breathed. "Seems scary."

"I heard he and Eve used to be lovers."

I choked on my breakfast.

"General Seiker, if we put them out there, they'll die! We're just wasting innocent lives. True, we need more numbers but they won't stand a chance!" Major Silvara pleaded.

"Most of them are experienced. I'm sure they'll be fine." Chung replied coolly.

"But—"

"_Eve. _This discussion is over." His voice had this extremely scaring warning tone. But one thing bothered me more: He called her by first name. Only Add called Major Silvara but her first name and she had corrected him. But now, she actually seemed embarrassed.

"Chung, I don't recommend this." Add said levelly, his face was neutral. I was surprised. For someone who was borderline a lunatic, he actually looked extremely official and serious.

"Major General Kim. I appreciate the input but my decision is made. Captain Caligo, please prepare Unit 6 for battle. They will be relocated to Feita in Lurensia."

Elsword nodded and bit his lip. He glanced over uneasily at me but looked away so quickly that I thought I imagined it. Rena clutched my hand. Her apple had turned brownish.

"Alright! You heard what the general said! Go get your equipment and meet in the training fields. The plane will be here shortly." Elsword hollered, his voice cracking on the last word.

Rena shakily lifted her hand and pulled out her twin tails, letting her long hair spill over her shoulders. She put her hair back into a side ponytail. She reached over to me and re-did my hair, pulling it into a tight bun.

"Aisha, please stay alive. I'm so, so sorry this had to happen to you when you're so new." Her stood up and and her clothes morphed into a green and white dress with black belts that dangled freely. She had a few lilies in her hair. So she already Specialized. She closed her eyes tightly and three green orbs appeared around her. She ran off and they followed her.

I sat for a moment. I wasn't scared or sad or mad. I was just...empty. Everybody else had a family, or something to live for. Everyone had a reason to be here. I didn't. I stood up, ready to go. I'll be with my mom and dad soon. I was about to join everyone else when Elsword grabbed my arm.

"Honestly, you need to hurry and Specialize. Everyone else has special armor that was designed for them and only them. You just have clunky armor."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement. But don't worry, I have no intention of surviving this."

"You are _not _going to die on me. Listen, it is hell out there. If you don't know what you're doing, you won't even make it to the battlefield. Stick close to me, don't ask questions, don't do something stupid, and you'll be okay."

I got on the plane and didn't speak for the entire ride.

* * *

**Author's Note: WOOHOO! THREE-THOUSAND WORDS! I FINALLY MANAGED TO PASS ONE THOUSAND! I know, three-thousand isn't much but it is for me! Hope you guys enjoyed this! There was a bit of Cheve hinting and ElsAi at the end. ;3 **

**Replies to my amazing, spectacular, stupendous reviewers! **

**SIEGris- Thank ya, Rissy-chan! Aisha had anger issues. So does Elsword. c: **

**Icebella- Oh don't be so suuure! There's a bigger twist coming soon. Sooooon. Thank you so much! OH MY GOD, YOU ARE JUST THE SWEETEST PERSON EVER. LET ME HUG YOU. **

**xXxBlazingHeartxXx- That may or may not be the twist. ;D I'm dead asleep at 3 AM. I can't even wake up at 11 AM! Let alone 3. .w. Aisha just needs some love an comforting. Luckily, she had Elsword. **

**Lingerer- Thank youuuu! eue **

**Sugarlatte- Elsword is what? :D **

**Rosamanelle- Yep, this is a fanfiction. Everybody is a bit lacking in the noggin. XD YES FEED AISHA COOKIES. AND FEED ME COOKIES. Spoilers~ But I will tell you darkness is somewhat involved. Add is just everyone's favorite lunatic. :D **

**Ayaleisi- O_O **


	4. Umber

Feita was very warm and humid. I could feel my clothes begin sticking to me already. I looked around for guidance, but everyone had dispersed. There were tents set up everywhere, and explosions could be heard in the background. Wounded soldiers were everywhere. A nurse pushed past me, pushing a solider on a cot. I stumbled back and held back a gag. The soldier's leg had been blown off, and deep gashes were all over him. He seemed to be missing an eye too.

Nausea rushed over me in waves. I stumbled, gagging. Suddenly, I felt cool hands on my shoulders.

"You are seriously useless," Elsword snapped.

I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest, and managed to forget everything happening around me for a split second. But then I realized that this was Elsword and I needed to pull myself together. I quickly drew back and cleared my throat.

"Orders, Captain?"

He snorted. "Come with me."

He grabbed my arm and lead me through the nurse's station—which was filled with wounded soldiers. I tried to focus on Elsword's back and not the dying people around me. We finally reached a large tent that was barricaded with soldiers.

"You want me to guard this tent?" I asked with confusion, "looks pretty safe to me."

"No," he rolled his eyes, "I want you to get _in_ the tent."

"What? Why?" I asked, still confused.

"That's where the innocent civilians of Feita are residing. You are going to join them."

"You want me to cower in a tent?" I frowned.

"Exactly," he nodded.

"What the hell, Elsword? I may be weak, but I'm not that shameless," I protested.

"No, but I am," he shoved me inside, "and I promised to get you out alive."

* * *

So here I am, sitting with my knees pulled to my chest in the darkest corner of the tent. The explosions were getting closer and I could hear yelling that was dangerously close to this tent. The guy next to me was shaking as he nervously adjusted his glasses.

"You okay?" I whispered gently.

He jumped and stared at me with big eyes. I gave him the most comforting smile I could pull at the moment.

"Y-Yes, th-thank you for your c-concern," he looked down at his hands, his glasses slipping down to the bridge of his nose.

"I'm Aisha," I held out a hand. He stared at it for a good three seconds before quickly grabbing it.

"A-Allegro," he said.

"Want me to tell you something funny?" I asked. I don't know why I was randomly asking this, but I needed something to distract me from what was going outside.

"Sure..."

"I'm actually supposed to be out there fighting, but I'm so weak that my captain who's also my childhood friend placed me here," I didn't know why I was spouting this stuff to a random stranger who, frankly, looks scared of me.

He was quiet for a bit before whispering, "At least you have the courage to join the military."

I quietly laughed. "Anyone could join the military."

"No," he whispered firmly.

I looked at him, surprised.

"My friend, Lento, and I were supposed to join together," he said grimly, "but I got scared and decided against it. He joined alone while I became the Lord of Feita's assistant."

"That's good for you, isn't it?" I asked. "The Lord of Feita is a powerful man."

"It is. Lento never blamed me and we're still friends," he nodded, "but I always felt guilty about it. Lento is assigned to protect me, you know?"

"That's great, at least you are guarded by someone familiar."

"But I feel like such a coward. Lento is risking his life for me while I sit here and tremble in fear."

"He was trained to do this, and you weren't," I said, "of course you would be scared."

"Exactly!" he said, his voice rising. The other people in the tent were looking at us. Allegro blushed and looked down.

I wanted to hug him.

"_I _should've been trained too, but I was too scared," he said, his voice back to a whisper.

I didn't know what else to say to him, so I just reached for his hand. He froze when I held it.

"Then let us be scared together," I said.

* * *

The heat was getting to a ridiculous level. Our hands were sweaty and gross, but we didn't let go of each other's hand. The explosions were now so close that the debris was hitting our tent.

The attack finally came when a soldier burst into out tent and screamed for us all to run. His arm was hanging limp at his side and blood was steadily flowing from a head wound. I pulled Allegro up and pushed him out of the tent, he looked back at me but was swallowed by the panicked crowd. I prayed to Lady El he found Lento, and that Lento was alive.

I was alone now.

I grabbed my staff and conjured a mana shield around me. I may not have Specialized yet, but I still can use magic. I ran past the soldiers who were trying to escort the frenzied civilians to somewhere else. Allegro saw me and his eyes widened. I flashed him a smile before running out onto the battlefield.

A swarm of monsters flanked me. They were Glitter Monsters. I had studied them in school.

I gripped my staff and began conjuring up fireballs. As they burned, I took this chance to run past them. I needed to save my mana and magic just in case.

I continued this strategy until I ran far enough to see other soldiers fighting. I tried to look for familiar faces. More monsters swarmed me and I could feel my mana decreasing. I sighed and began whacking them with my staff. They drew back, but I continued beating them until they were actually dead. It was strangely a very therapeutic way to vent out anger.

I assisted some soldiers in defeating stronger monsters such as Stone Golems. I was surprised at myself for being able to survive this long. I did get shot twice by Glitter Archers and a Glitter Necromancer managed to curse me and I lost all of my mana.

I continued to run around—sometimes teleport when I was out of breath.

I froze. There he was. Elsword. He was attacking a fallen Cutty Sark with a couple of soldiers I didn't recognize. The gargoyle was still flapping its wings angrily and hitting soldiers left and right. Elsword summoned four Conwells and they rained down on its wings, pinning them down.

I was so distracted that I didn't realize there was a Stone Gargoyle behind me until it attacked me with its sound waves. I let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground. Blood began to seep out of the makeshift bandages I made for the arrow wounds.

Elsword looked up.

_Oh shit. _

His jaw dropped open. If I weren't in so much pain, I would wave.

* * *

"_Aisha?!_" he shouted.

"Hey, Cap," I said, holding my side. Blood was dripping down my arm, but the pain in my side hurt more.

"What the _HELL _are you doing here?" he was at my side in seconds, the other soldiers were already having trouble holding Cutty Sark down.

"The tent was attacked so we had to evacuate," I answered, trying not to show him the amount of blood gushing out of my side right now.

"So you evacuated into the battlefield?!" he answered, removing my hand and wrapping actual bandages around my side. Where did he get those?

"Is that a rhetorical question?"

He said nothing and made me drink some potion that numbed my pain.

"You do not need to be here," he moved onto my arm.

"I'm already here, so I'm going to help," I said firmly, grabbing his hand. He stopped bandaging me and stared at me.

"You're not serious right now, are you?"

"Of course I am, I managed to survive this long, haven't I?" I winced when he flicked my wound.

"Leave," he withdrew his sword from the sheath and ran back to Cutty Sark, who had already gotten one wing unpinned.

I followed, teleporting ahead of him.

"Binding Circle!" I shouted, summoning blue rings around Cutty. His movement completely stopped. I managed to look at Elsword and shoot him a satisfied smirk. He quickly outdid me me by stabbing Conwell into the ground and smaller Conwells erupted from the ground, finishing Cutty off.

He returned the smirk. I rolled my eyes.

Everyone else cheered. I swore I saw Cutty switch out of the corner of my eye and Elsword was standing dangerously close to its wing.

Everything that happened next was a blur. I tackled Elsword to the ground and we landed with a hard thud. I grabbed Conwell—which was not purposeful, I meant to grab Elsword's other sword—and thrust it into Cutty's hind leg just as it was about to rise again.

I could feel my heart pounding against my chest and breathing hurt. Elsword was at my side and yelling orders that didn't even register in my brain to the other soldiers.

_You dare touch me, mortal? _

I blinked, and looked around. Elsword was still barking orders, his hand was firmly on my shoulder.

_I am Conwell. _

* * *

**Author's Note: WHOA WHAT? THIS STORY ISN'T DEAD!? **

**Replies to my beautiful reviewers! **

**Lingerer- Thank you! I love cookies! :D Thank you Mr. Doge! **

**Icebella- Thanks! 4,000 is my goal! THANK YOU OMG I LOVE YOU *tackle hugs* **

**SIEGris- Don't judge him, Rissy! **

**Yami Mizumi- I know right!? Thank you! **

**MelodyRinn- Here's your extremely late update! Add is as serious as Add can get. ITS GETTIN' HOT IN HERE SO TAKE OFF ALL YOUR CLOTHES- /shot  
**

**yes, it will be. **

**Kuroyume Hime- Thank you! I wish I can tell you, but I can'tttttttttt. **

** \- SQUEEEE**

**Sugarlatte- IM STARTING TO FALL DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH YOU AND YOUR KINDNESS THANK YOUUUU. **

**I can't tell you yet. ;3 **

**DerpyKanshii- Thanks! **

**InfinityEls- Weeell, technically, only the Elesis in Grand Chase's last name is Sieghart, but I see where you're coming from. **

**Sinojin- Yes, he is. :3 Eve is a badass. **

**Rosamanelle- Making Raven the asshole is so fun! I can't tell you yet, but you're getting warmer! Elsword is always an asshole, even in the game! Especialy PvP. UGH. ALL WILL BE REVEALED SOON. **

**WielderoftheSilverSword- BECAUSE RAVEN WILL BE RAVEN AND BE BROODING AND SULKY. There may or may not be a love triangle between Add, Eve, and Chung. I'm not a big Chara shipper, but maybe just a tad for you! If I ever decide to bring Ara in. **

**FriFrifurretbell- Thankssss! **

**RubyContract- *screams and runs around in a circle*  
Yes, I do plan on revising the earlier chapters of RtGE. I went back and read it and actually cringed, probably not now, but soon! What about the Elsword guys? :D You, creator of the ElesisxAren ship, wants me to kill Elesis off without a love interest? O_O You're like the Geoge R. R. Martin of the Elsword archive, but that's good! He's an amazing author. **

**Epsilon The Ancient Nasod- AM. XD **

**SwegChan- Thank youuu! HERE'S SOME FLUFF K**

**MiyuMelody- 'KAY**


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